Today I wanted to do a tutorial on LOWER ABDOMINALS. 

This is a question that has popped up with my 1:1 clients about how to engage that lower part of your core.

Lower Abdominals are the ones we would label as our "pooch", between your belly button and your pelvis. 

They are challenging to engage because we have more dominating muscles that can take over a movement and engage faster. So I am going to show you some exercises to better engage your lower abs.

When we crunch or do a v-sit up our upper abdominals and our hip flexers will both take effect before our lower abs. So the key is to start mentally being aware of your lower abdominals. What I mean by this, is you need to concentrate on pulling those muscles inward toward your spine. 

To get started I will demonstrate some exercises to get you connected with your lower abdominals. 

No. 1 - A simple breathing exercise to engage and connect with your lower core

No. 2 - A 90 degree crunch

No. 3 - Reverse...

I am a firm believer in timing your workouts! We tend to underestimate the time we are doing actual work and over estimate out rest time. So having a timer click down will keep us accountable, avoid distractions and make sure you are getting the proper amount of work done

Do you use an interval timer? I am going to share a couple of apps that I use and recommend. 

App No. 1 - Interval Timer (demo available in video) and is FREE

App No. 2 - Trainerize, a more detailed app that allows you to track information about your workout and this is the tool I use in my coaching programs, so the interval timer is only one element. This is a PAID app. 

All the workouts and tracking in your coaching program with me is done on the trainerize app and as your coach I get to see when you are accessing your workouts. It helps me personalize your program and I cannot speak enough about how amazing this app is. Of course this app is only one element of the full...

These are some personal trainer foundations to help get the most out of your workouts and each rep.

We will break down how each exercise you have ever done, can be broken down into 3 parts and used to your advantage.

Part No. 1 - Concentric part of the movement - where you are actually doing the lift of the weight and movement. 

Part No. 2 - Less talked about and glorified- Isometric! The moment and split second pause when you change direction.

Part No. 3 - Eccentric part of the movement. Control against gravity and keeping the tension to manage the load, which will give you a greater benefit vs just running through reps. 

When you feel you are getting too strong for the weights you have at home, you need to slow your movements down. That is what is going to challenge you and give you a better workout with each rep. This applies to any movement. 

Take your time to really feel each part of every movement! You may be surprised how heavy 10 lbs can actually feel. 

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This body position should always be done before and after doing an exercise. 

It is going to help give you proper posture and proper alignment, which will help to engage your muscles and no matter what move you are doing, you are doing it safely. 

You always want to be in your power when you're working your muscles.

To remember this, look at it as a 3 part checklist:

No. 1 Start from the bottom and look at your hips - you want to tuck your hips under. At the same time you want to squeeze your glutes.

No. 2 Core Contraction! After tucking your hips in step1 and then contracting your core, the combination compacts you to give your spine support to safely lift weights.

No. 3 Is your shoulders. Roll them back and down to create a straight line down your torso.

This pose may feel "weird" at first, if you have never tried it but it will help you have a much safer and enjoyable workout - helping to prevent injury. 

Follow along with the video above to see...

You don't need a ton of time or space to get a Full Body Workout done!

I want to help real women who live busy full lives, take control of their fitness and their health, without it feeling like it has to be a full time job. 

When designing a full body workout, think about your muscle groups - Circuit groups should be balanced. I break everything into these four categories:

1. Upper Body Push 
2. Upper Body Pull
3. Legs 
4. Core

Always start with a warm up and get your muscles moving before adding any weight.

For the first 2 circuits I will use Push Pull, Legs and then finish with core. Each circuit should run at least 2x. 

Always ensure you are staying aware of your form, never sacrifice form for extra weight.  As well, you want to make sure your exercises aren't directed at your main target area ONLY. Balanced training will get you to your goals!

If you feel you need a little bit more guidance, then you are in luck because I have a FREE download. CLICK HERE to...

Something you may not know but too much cardio can work against you!!

Here are three signs you are doing too much cardio:

No. 1 - Energy is low outside of workouts, recovery time is really long and appetite is really high

- Cardio burns through the most available energy source our body has and it depletes us and then takes a long time replenish. If you're exhausted for a long period of time after your workout, it means there was too much cardio. Your body isn't able to replenish itself fast enough and because we are so depleted our appetite spikes!

No. 2 - Any progress made is fragile

- Your not changing your body composition, your just shrinking fat cells and not gaining any muscle mass - this is why balanced strength training is so important!

- You feel like if you even smell a slice of Pizza you will lose all progress

- You feel you have to do more and more cardio to see progress, which is just lengthening your cardio sessions, which is more effort for less results.

No....

Get in and get out - take advantage of this FREE Low Impact Full Body Workout that is only 30 minutes. Get it done and move on with your day.

Start being accountable for your Health & Fitness, if you say you are going to show up - SHOW UP! This is only 30 minutes of your day.

Our bodies cannot handle a high impact workout everyday and sometimes when you are having a sluggish day but know that a workout will make you feel better and you just need something on a less intense scale. Low impact is a great solution.

Low impact means no jumping and no heavy weights but make no mistake, will get your heart pumping, body engaged and give you a great body stretch. 

Equipment: Mini Resistance Bands

Take this opportunity to reset your body for the week ahead or to give your joints a well needed break, while still breaking a sweat.